On April 11-13, Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz headed a delegation to Chengdu, after their visits to Beijing and Hainan earlier this month.

The two leaders attended the opening of the Consulate General of Austria in Chengdu, a Sino-Austrian trade fair and the launch of the direct freight train service between Chengdu and Vienna.

It was the first time that Austria's head of state and government leader visited a country at the same time. The 100-plus-member delegation they headed included the president's wife, government officials and business and cultural sector insiders.

Witnessed by the president and chancellor, the Consulate General of Austria in Chengdu opened on April 11. With its services covering Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces and Chongqing municipality, this is the third consulate that Austria has opened in China after those in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said the establishment of the consulate is not a "coincidence", as Chengdu and Austria share a long history of cooperation.

She added that the new consulate will be devoted to promoting Austria's ties with Sichuan and China as well, in the fields of diplomacy, economy, science and culture, and especially people-to-people exchanges.

"The opening of the consulate is the most important agenda for our trip in Chengdu," President van der Bellen said, adding that he hopes the establishment can further contribute to Sino-Austrian exchanges.

Chancellor Kurz said that the consulate will be a strong start for cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and technology.

To date, 17 countries have been approved to set up their consulates general in Chengdu, which tops China's central and western regions in this aspect.